Please help-Daughter can't get over fear of vomiting.

[POOHDRMR]

Back in June my daughter(6) caught a small stomach virus-only lasted a day but since then she keeps thinking she is gonna be sick again.She won't eat much lunch sometimes because it started right after lunch. She keeps saying she has a feeling in her throat that she thinks means she is gonna be sick. But 2 minutes later she will say she feels better.She gets afraid if she burps or has a stomach ache.We keep trying to tell her that its all gone and she won't be sick and she says she knows but then the next meal its back again.She will go a couple of days without saying it but then she does it again. I took her for her check up cause she just had her birthday and the doctor said she is healthy but I am worried that she is continuing this for so long. We have talked to her,tried to calm her and even tried to just say ok your fine when she says it. Anyones child ever worried about something like this and any advice on how to help her? I don't know if I should bring her to a pyscologist or someone to talk to.

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, she *could* have reflux, which does indeed bring bile into your throat if you burp or eat too much too fast. Testing for it is nasty, so most peds won't do it unless a child has severe pain or can't keep anything down. It doesn't really sound like she has it, though, b/c if she did she would vomit very easily if she was at all sick.

What I would suggest is giving her a regular TUMS tablet before meals. They won't hurt her in that dose, and you can tell her that they prevent vomiting. The placebo effect should calm her fear a bit.

PS: To address the "medicine" issue: TUMS is approved as a calcium supplement, it only contains calcium carbonate, plus a small amount of flavoring and coloring. The only adverse issue that might occur would be if you had an allergy to the coloring or flavoring. They actually DO help prevent vomiting in people who have mild reflux, because the carbon in them helps to neutralize stomach acid. (They are not nearly strong enough to help with serious reflux cases, though.)

My oldest child does have serious reflux, and from toddlerhood he understood what his medicine was for and what it did and did not fix. Give children credit for understanding careful explanations. I don't recommend lying and telling a child that any med is somehow magical, but we use these preparations because they solve certain problems, and this one in particular often solves the problem of feeling nauseous after meals. Kids often have an overactive gag reflex that they grow out of, so it is completely reasonable to predict that the issue will go away as she gets older. There are SO many other things besides fever that can trigger vomiting; saying that it won't happen if there is no fever is asking for trouble, because when it does happen the child may think that Mom lied. (Motion sickness comes to mind, this being a travel board and all.)

 

[Microcell]

I understand where the last poster is coming from, and maybe Tums is not adverse in any way, but I wouldn't want my child to take medication when not needed and also it might give her the idea that everything can be solved with a pill or medicine, and some things can't be. You will spend all your time trying to explain why it won't work for every little ache and pain.

My kids also get worried about throwing up and I just tell them matter of factly that if their head is not hot they won't throw up. I would feel their head and say "Nope, you are not hot so you shouldn't throw up".

We all know that a kid can throw up when not feverish, but in general it is usually a safe bet they won't if there is no fever. Especially if it has been days or weeks since they had the bug and you are pretty confident they are over whatever they had.

 

[mcco5543]

could you try giving her a "Sure fire" procedure for having lunch "small bites, chew thouroughly, dont' rush" and you won't throw up.
In addition to "If you aren't sick, you won't throw up" which i'm sure yo'uve already told her. Good luck. I hate throwing up and i'm an adult!

lunch may take longer with her "procedure to make it so she wont' throw up" but eventually you can tell her she can eat faster and take bigger bites if she realizes she hasnt' thrown up...

 

[squirrlygirl]

My kids would do something like that for the attention. Not to say that's what your daughter is doing, but could it be? If she got extra attention when she was ill, and now gets some every time she does this? If that's the case, let her not eat without saying much, and offer a healthy "snack" a while later.
If you suspect it's reflux, try changing her diet. If it helps, maybe that's the cause. No spaghetti sauce, chocolate, pop, caffeine, etc.

FWIW, my son has to swish milk in his mouth for a full minute before swallowing, otherwise he'll "throw up". Doc has assured us there's no medical reason for concern, so we ignore it, and it's beginning to be shorter and shorter swishes

 

[Oceana]

Are you certain she does not have any other issues!?

Before you decide she is just afriad or is doing it for attention.

Get a flashlight and take a look.

my eldest had major barfing issues... he barfed if he took too large a bite, if he thought he might not like the taste/texture of what he put in his mouth, if it was wednesday, if it was after 6am and before 11pm if he walked past a garbage can and thought something gross might be in it.

One day I looked in his mouth and discovered his tonsils were touching... so his giant oversized too large tonsils were sitting on his gag reflex so pretty much he walked around all day and night every day on the verge of barfing and anything could trigger him to loose control.

It could be an issue she has always had but the virus gave her the words to tell you about it

In January my son had his tonsils out after 4 months of every other treatment attempted to make certain this was an always thing and not just a random once thing

he has not vomited since... he is still very cautious of food. he is having to learn to trust food and even enjoy food... its a slow process but now he eats food and doesnt complain. He sometimes gets so happy that he doesnt barf.

goodluck
julie

 

[Laura.bora]

There probally isn't much about the phobia of vomiting you can do, but how about suggesting eating foods that aren't as gross coming up? (3rd pregnancy with hyperemisis - aka REALLY bad morning sickness that lasts for months and months- I've learned to avoid certain foods during this time period) In time, the fear will pass, and she'll eat normal again. But for me, I know if I just ate something that I know I hate coming back up my mind is then constantly on being sick. I try to eat things things like soup, juice, Ginger Ale, starchy food like potatoes and pasta etc and avoid things like milk, popcorn, cheese etc. Maybe this would help? Just an idea - it works for me, but then again, I'm not 6, and there is something wrong (Wonderfully wrong ) with me. also with that "feeling in the back of the throat" - try having a sip of a drink. Works for me too.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I would look a little closer to be sure that it is not reflux. Ds was diagoned with reflux a few years ago and we learned that he had had it for years but had just not realized it was not normal. when a dr discribed the feeling to him, he knew exactly what it was.

If that is not an issue, just trying to decrease thefocus on the subject. Give as little attention as possible to the whole situation. Don't tell her she is not going to throw up because she might and there goes her trust in you. Kids do often throw up with out fever so do not tell her that. Be calm and reasuring and this too will pass!!

 

[luvtogo12]

I am going thru the same thing with DS11 right now. He had some sort of bug the other day and got really upset when he thought he was going to throw up. He told me he would just swallow it.
I tried to explain that if he felt like he had to throw up, it was his body trying to get rid of some bad germs, he did not care. He never did throw up that night although he spent a lot of time in the bathroom.
This was 2 nights ago and he has not touched any food since. He is acting normal, no fever and he said his stomach does not hurt anymore. However, he is afraid he will get sick again so he wont eat.
I think it is just a genuine fear of throwing up and I really dont know what to do.